Revolutionary moments and periods in Britain

This post lists 9 Revolutionary moments and periods in Britain since 1381. This is a broad overview so I will look at the details and patterns of these moments and periods in future posts.

In The Road Not Taken: How Britain Narrowly Missed a Revolution 1381–1926, Frank McLynn identifies seven occasions when Britain came close to revolution. These are the Peasants Revolt 1381, Jack Cade’s Rebellion 1450, the Pilgrimage of Grace 1536, the English Civil Wars 1642–51, the Jacobite Rising of 1745–6, the Chartist Movement of 1838–48, and the General Strike of 1926. McLynn includes the Great Unrest of 1910–1914 and near revolution in 1919, as leading up to the General Strike of 1926.

I have also added the Long 1968 — from the mid-1950s to the mid-1980s.

The Peasants Revolt 1381

Jack Cade’s Rebellion 1450

The Pilgrimage of Grace 1536–7

The English Civil Wars 1642–51

“The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (“Roundheads”) and Royalists (“Cavaliers”) principally over the manner of England’s governance. The first (1642–1646) and second (1648–1649) wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third (1649–1651) saw fighting between supporters of King Charles II and supporters of the Rump Parliament. The war ended with Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651.

The Jacobite Rising of 1745–6

Early radical labour movement late 1820’s and 1830’s

Trade unions were legalised in 1824 resulting in the huge growth in the number of trade unions and their memberships. There was open class struggle between the workers against the government and employers. Strikes took place all over the country. In 1830–1 rural agricultural uprising took place led by the fictional ‘Captain Swing’.

The Merthry Rising took place in 1831 in Wales, where coal and steelworkers protested about wages and unemployment. This spread to nearby towns and villages. In June 1831 the red flag was raised in Merthyr Tydfil.

The Chartist Movement of 1837–48

Chartism was a national working-class protest movement for political reform with strong support in the North, Midlands and South Wales. Support was greatest in 1839, 42, 48. It presented petitions with millions of signatures to parliament, combined with mass meetings with the aim of putting pressure on politicians.

The People’s Charter called for six reforms to make the political system more democratic:

The Great Unrest 1910–1914 to the General Strike 1926

Long 1968

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